John Torode

Bursting onto the UK culinary stage in the mid 1990’s, John Torode was a one of the most influential Australasian chefs of the time. Becoming Head Chef of Mezzo in Soho in 1995, John was the face of one of Europe’s largest restaurants and his actions led to him becoming one of the most well known celebrity chefs in recent times. Opening Smiths of Smithfield in 2000, a four-floor restaurant, private dining room and café, John created a culinary enterprise that continues to be a roaring success to this day.

Torode has gone on to open similar venues, including The Luxe, accumulating a turnover across his restaurants of £9.2 million in 2010. John has proven his culinary prowess not only on television as a celebrity chef, but as a business owner providing a desirable experience in one of the most competitive areas for cuisine in the world. John is best known to wider audiences as a celebrity chef judge on the BBC hit show Masterchef.

Debuting on the show in 2005, Torode and co-judge Gregg Wallace have created what The Daily Mail called ‘the biggest food related television show worldwide’. Taking amateur talent and creating new professional culinary stars, the show has gone from success to success and has established a number of spin off series that Torode has contributed to extensively, including Celebrity Masterchef, Junior Masterchef and Masterchef: The Professionals. 

A great television presenter, Torode is known for his passion for cooking along with his compelling descriptions and on-screen persona. John is just as popular on television as he is at country shows and exhibitions providing cooking demonstrations or participating in question and answer sessions. Torode interacts with audience members with charm and humour, making him a highly desirable culinary personality for event and private functions.